“I see your manners haven’t improved since we last met,” said Mickie coldly.
Tasha had what felt like a million ideas running through her head for a witty retort, but stopped herself as she turned to face Jim.
“I just need a quick word with Sara about Lizzie coming over on Friday. I’m leaving you to deal with this,” she said to him quite obviously meaning Mickie. “Before I do,” she added, knowing he’d understand that her way of dealing it would be far more crude and dramatic than his.
Tasha had only taken half a dozen steps from the table when Jim addressed Mickie. “Back off,” he told her calmly as the others watched on.
“I don’t know what you mean,” protested Mickie.
“Of course you do, but it stops now or I will just write Lenny a large cheque and take my fiancée home.” His words were delivered while he remained almost oblivious to the captive audience at their table.
“Tell her.”
In those two small words that sounded annoyingly childish, Jim realised that Mickie had been an even bigger mistake than he’d previously believed. “I am telling you. Back off and leave her alone or this will be the last time that you and I occupy the same room.” Jim was deadly serious. He glanced around and saw that he and Mickie had inadvertently become the entertainment for their table.
Tasha returned, feeling anxious about the rest of the evening and almost slipped back into her seat unnoticed.
“Did you find Sara and sort out Friday?” asked Jim, pulling Tasha’s seat a little closer.
She nodded. “She’s bringing Lizzie over on Friday night and we’ll go to the airport together on Saturday.”
“It will be so odd at home without you and Lizzie,” he said sadly.
“It’s only a week, but you could come with us.” Tasha said and hoped he would say yes. She hadn’t known how desperate she was for him to go with them until she’d uttered those words.
“I can’t, honey. I really wish I could, but I’ve got meetings all week and some of them can’t be cancelled.”
“Okay,” she said sadly, but smiled as he leaned down and kissed her nose.
“It must be love,” muttered Marc laughing, but before anyone else could speak, dinner was announced.
Tasha found dinner a little uncomfortable because of Mickie’s presence, but felt reassured by the fact that Jim was very attentive to her and made no effort to converse with the other woman. When she tried to discuss things that excluded Tasha, the others; Jim, Marc, Marcia and Jon turned the conversation back to topics she could contribute to, but she was relieved when dinner was eventually over and the speeches began.
Lenny spoke first, thanking everyone for attending and encouraged them to be generous throughout the evening. Other speakers followed and discussed facts and figures of what the charity had already achieved and then went on to discuss the charity’s aims and aspirations for the future. The final speaker explained that there had been a change to the itinerary and the entertainment and dancing would follow the charity auction. He then handed over to the auctioneer.
The auctioneer was very funny, but obviously knew that it was his mission to get as much money as possible from the rich people before him. Tasha went to the bathroom between the second and third lots and was surprised to see so many famous faces around her as she navigated a path across the room. Some of them smiled at her and a few spoke, just a tokenhello, orhi,but she felt rather star struck and giddy at the idea that these A-listers were speaking to her, Natasha Bailey. She doubted they knew her name, although if they did they’d know her as Natasha Winters, but what they were most likely to know was that she was the fiancée of Jim Maybury. That thought made her slightly uneasy, wondering if people were only passing the time of day and exchanging pleasantries because of who she was dating. She couldn’t change that tonight. Maybe in time they’d speak to her because of who she was.
She washed her hands and was reapplying her lip gloss when a familiar blonde figure appeared behind her.
“Hi, Tasha, how lovely to see you. I thought it was you I saw coming in earlier,” said the warm face that accompanied an equally warm embrace from Katy Myers who she’d met once before on the red carpet in London.
“Hello there. How are you?” replied Tasha.
“I’m good, but not as good as you.” She laughed. “Should I buy a hat now that you’ve agreed to be Jim Maybury’s wife?”
Several glances from the other ladies in the bathroom followed, but Tasha ignored them and laughed as she recalled Katy’s questioning on the red carpet that night.
“Are you out here permanently now?” Katy barely came up for breath.
“Pretty much. I’m flying back to London at the weekend for a week and I’ll go back out in about six weeks for filming but then I’ll be back here again,” she explained.
“Exciting,” Katy exclaimed sounding almost as excited as Tasha. “I know this isn’t the time or the place, but would you come on my show? I’ll go via your agent so it will all be done through the appropriate channels.”
“Yes, I would love to, but I only have a U.K. agent, so you would need to call her, but I’ll let her know I’m aware of it.” Tasha had no clue whether she should be networking like this in the ladies or at a charity event.
Just then another blonde figure appeared behind them.
“Katy, darling!” cried Mickie.
